Alberta Election 2023 live: UCP wins majority despite NDP inroads ...

What happened last night Replay: News stream, commentary and analysis of Alberta election results 7:40 a.m. UCP splits battleground Calgary en route to re-election NDP supporters are bathed in orange light as they watch election results at the NDP watch party at the Palace Theatre in downtown Calgary on May 29. Photo by Jim Wells /Postmedia

The United Conservatives lost numerous key seats in Calgary but maintained enough seats in the hotly contested battleground to secure a majority government in Monday night’s Alberta election.

When the dust settled on the election early Tuesday morning, Danielle Smith’s UCP had won 12 out of Calgary’s 26 constituencies, while Rachel Notley’s NDP triumphed in 14 ridings.

The split result in Calgary is the culmination of a campaign which saw the bulk of electioneering take place in Alberta’s largest city. Parties, pundits and pollsters had predicted Calgary would hold the balance of the election, with the NDP slated to win Edmonton and the UCP taking much of rural Alberta, a forecast which held true Monday.

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1:15 a.m. Danielle Smith loses several big names in election despite earning majority Danielle Smith celebrates the UCP’s win and her re-election as premiere in the 2023 Alberta election at the UCP watch party on the election night at Big Four Building in Calgary on May 29. Photo by Azin Ghaffari /Postmedia

The UCP held onto power but Danielle Smith’s pre-election cabinet took some big losses along the way Monday night.

The most decisive verdict against the UCP was just about everyone connected to health care fell from the ranks.

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12:20 a.m. NDP picks up seats but ultimately falls short in Calgary battleground NDP Leader Rachel Notley attends her provincial election night party in Edmonton on May 29. Photo by AMBER BRACKEN /REUTERS

The Alberta NDP made significant gains in Calgary in Monday night’s provincial vote, but failed to muster enough support in the election battleground to thrust itself back into government.

The United Conservative Party secured a majority government with a projected 52 seats, compared to 35 for the NDP. Late Monday, the UCP led several ridings in Calgary, widely perceived as the election-deciding battleground for the 2023 campaign, though the NDP is positioned to steal several seats in the city.

While many of them were still too close to call, as of 11:45 p.m. Monday the NDP was leading in 11 Calgary ridings — a large boost from the three it earned in the 2019 campaign.

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12 a.m. UCP to win majority of seats in Alberta legislature UCP supporters take their seats for the 2023 election results at the Big Four Building in Calgary on Monday, May 29, 2023. Darren Makowichuk/Postmedia

Danielle Smith’s storm cloud of controversy was not enough to deter Alberta voters from handing her United Conservative Party a second term in government.

By the time the UCP was celebrating a majority win shortly after 11 p.m., Elections Alberta counted only 1.1 million votes from of 2.8 million eligible voters. The UCP was leading in 52 ridings, while the NDP appeared poised to take 35 seats, putting Rachel Notley’s New Democrats back in the opposition benches.

Smith, the former radio show host, newspaper columnist and Wildrose leader, counted on voters caring more about bread-and-butter conservative issues like the economy and a low corporate tax rate than her shifting positions, including on private health care and her public embrace of fringe ideas during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Here are the results by riding, with more than 90 per cent of polls reporting, according to Elections Alberta:

Battleground: Calgary Battleground: Edmonton Battleground: Alberta 12 a.m. Danielle Smith, UCP supporters celebrate electoral victory Danielle Smith celebrates the UCP’s win in the 2023 Alberta election at the UCP watch party on the election night at Big Four Building in Calgary on Monday, May 29, 2023. Photo by Azin Ghaffari/Postmedia

United Conservative Party supporters, candidates, and supporters celebrated their party’s win late Monday night, as the UCP overcame the defeats of several cabinet ministers to remain in government.

A crowd of hundreds of supporters gathered inside Calgary’s Big Four building on the Stampede Grounds for the UCP watch party.

Leader Danielle Smith addressed her supporters just before midnight, calling the race “the very definition of a hard-fought election.”

“We faced the most expensive, fierce and co-ordinated opposition and third-party political campaigns in provincial history,” she said.

“Many folks wrote us off even just as recently as last month, but you know what happened? Despite it all, today Albertans chose to move our province forward.”

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11:30 p.m. Monday Rachel Notley to stay on as Alberta NDP leader Alberta New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Rachel Notley reacts at her provincial election night party in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada May 29, 2023. Photo by Amber Bracken

Rachel Notley is down but not out — yet.

The Alberta New Democratic Party Leader dispelled any notions she will be resigning her post in a concession speech Monday evening. Just before 11:30 p.m. after a slow rollout of election results, Notley took to the stage at the ballroom in the Westin Hotel in Downtown Edmonton.

“Now is the time for us to do the work that has been asked of us,” she told the crowd gathered. “It is my honour to serve as your leader and it is my privilege to continue to serve as leader of the official opposition.”

But as party leader, she took responsibility for Monday’s outcome.

“Where we fell short, the responsibility rests entirely with me,” she said, to loud “no’s” from the crowd.

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9:50 p.m. Monday It took hours for Albertans to learn general election results People line up to vote after work in the provincial election in Calgary on Monday. Photo by TODD KOROL /REUTERS

As the polls closed in Alberta, politics watchers were glued to their televisions and the Elections Alberta’s live updates on vote-counting.

Alas, as the night wore on, after 9:30 p.m., only about 14 per cent of all polling stations were reporting votes. Around three million Albertans are eligible to cast ballots, and fewer than 100,000 had been reported in the first hour or so after polls closed at 8 p.m. MT.

By 10 p.m., about 30 per cent of voting places were reporting results, with more than 300,000 ballots counted. Throughout the province, ridings were showing very tight races, particularly in Calgary, where the NDP hoped to flip a number of seats in their potential path to victory.

Duane Bratt, a political commentator on the Global News television broadcast, said in 2008, the network called the election for Ed Stelmach in about 20 minutes.

The delays, seemingly just because counting votes takes time, has heightened the sense of drama in the campaign, which has showed the NDP and UCP in close contention for much of the campaign.

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9 p.m. Monday Don Braid: Despite the wild and angry campaign, Alberta will settle down UCP Leader Danielle Smith and NDP Leader Rachel Notley, campaigning in Calgary. Postmedia file photos

Albertans haven’t gone crazy, OK? We’re still just regular Canadians who want decent, competent government and a team that can win a Stanley Cup.

But the election campaign gave the province a terrible image across Canada. Here we are with wild-eyed right-wing fascists on one side, insane job-eating communists on the other.

Despite all appearances, this campaign was never about which side was more dangerous. It was about capturing the reasonable middle where most Albertans park their politics. Both parties tried to do that by demonizing the other, while offering policies and solutions well within the bounds of reason.

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5:36 p.m. Monday Memorable quotes from the campaign trail

Candidates for both the United Conservative Party and New Democrats have been campaigning over the last four weeks for their party to form the next Alberta government.

Here are some memorable quotes from the campaign:

“(The NDP) devastated the Alberta economy. They created policies that drove investment out, drove jobs out, and we had to reverse all of that,” UCP Leader Danielle Smith said on May 1, the day the writ was dropped. “The choice in this election couldn’t be clearer. It’s a choice between a UCP government that will cut your taxes and make life more affordable or an NDP government that will make you pay more across the board.”

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“Over the past four years, our health care has been thrown into chaos by the UCP,” NDP Leader Rachel Notley said during the first week of the campaign. “They’ll tell you they fixed it, but Albertans aren’t feeling it and they’re not buying it . . . our (emergency rooms) are still full, our ambulances are still delayed and many (patients) are waiting months and months for critical tests and surgeries.”

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“I am satisfied Mr. Pawlowski intended to incite the audience to continue the blockade — intended to incite protesters to commit mischief,” Justice Gordon Krinke said in Lethbridge on May 2, when he found Calgary pastor Artur Pawlowski guilty of charges related to his role in protests against COVID-19 public health measures. In a leaked phone call between Smith and Pawlowski, before his trial, Smith told Pawlowski the charges against him were politically motivated and she would make inquiries on his behalf and report back.

UCP party staff Benji Smith steams the Alberta flags before the start of UCP watch party on the election night at Big Four Building in Calgary on Monday. Photo by Azin Ghaffari /Postmedia

“(Smith) has a policy of not speaking publicly on matters before the courts, except when she’s talking to the person who’s before the courts about how she’s going to interfere with the matter before the courts,” Notley said when asked to comment on Smith’s no comment on the Pawlowski case. “That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard from her. OK, maybe it’s not the most ridiculous, because there’s a lot of ridiculous.”

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“(Judicial independence) is a fundamental pillar of our democracy. The premier breached this principle by discussing the accused’s case,” ethics commissioner Marguerite Trussler said in her report released May 18 into Smith’s actions as premier when she called her justice minister about Pawlowski’s case.

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“I’ve asked the ethics commissioner to give advice,” Smith said May 19. “I am a non-lawyer. As premier, I do need to be able to get advice from my top official, my top legal adviser. If she has recommendations on how to do that better next time, I will absolutely accept them.”

— The Canadian Press

5:30 p.m. Monday Special measures in place to enable voting for electors affected by wildfires Firefighters return to retrieve more gear while tackling the Deep Creek Wildfire Complex near Entwistle, Alberta, on May 15, 2023. Photo by Alberta Wildfire /Handout via Reuters

Alberta’s 2023 election campaign has taken place alongside a record-breaking spring for wildfires in Alberta. Ten communities were under evacuation orders Monday.

Elections Alberta has set up alternate voting locations for those displaced. Evacuation has been added as an eligible reason to vote by special ballot and mobile voting stations have been placed in evacuation centres.

Incident Command Centres are working to have special ballots delivered to firefighters and emergency crews.

— The Canadian Press

10:55 a.m. Monday Calgary region had 7 of the top 10 busiest advance polling stations in Alberta last week Advance voting at Central Lions Recreation Centre in Edmonton. Lisa Johnson/Postmedia

Electors in Calgary and area were among the most eager to get to the polls.

Of the 10 busiest polling stations in the province during the advance polling period last week, seven were in Calgary, Elections Alberta said on Monday.

And of those seven, four were in the southern half of Calgary and another was located south of the city.

Generally speaking, more Alberta voters chose to cast their ballot during the advance voting period than ever before.

“For the second election in a row we have seen record-breaking voter turnout during advance voting days,” said Chief Electoral Officer Glen Resler in a statement issued Monday morning. “In 2019, we saw 700,476 ballots cast during the five days of advance voting, this year we have welcomed 758,550 to the polls so far.”

Here were the 10 busiest polling stations during the advance voting period, May 23-27, according to Elections Alberta:

10:35 a.m. Monday Alberta votes in the strangest — and closest — election in its political history UCP Leader Danielle Smith and NDP Leader Rachel Notley take part in advance voting in Calgary on May 23, 2023. Illustration/Postmedia photos

Whoever wins the Alberta election on Monday, it will be one of the strangest campaigns ever fought in the province, with plenty of drama but few policy issues, and the real possibility of the closest outcome in Alberta political history.

In 2015, when the NDP won, it was the reversal of 40 years of conservative rule, aided by vote-splitting and a voting public whose patience was at an end. In 2019, when the United Conservatives won, it was a massive victory, featuring a re-energized right-wing movement looking to revitalize the province’s economy.

But this time, with the two parties neck-and-neck as voting day approaches, the election is not about jobs or pipelines or even party platforms.

It’s about Rachel Notley, leader of the NDP, and Danielle Smith, leader of the United Conservative Party, writes Tyler Dawson.

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5 a.m. Monday Alberta arrives at election day following bitter campaign Calgarians vote at an advance poll for the provincial election at the Haysboro Community Centre in Calgary on Tuesday, May 23, 2023. Photo by Gavin Young /Postmedia

Albertans head to the polls Monday to elect their next government, wrapping up a divisive four-week campaign that’s seen each leading party pitch their vision for the province while taking aim at the opposing leader’s record.

Voters are set to decide whether they’ll re-elect Danielle Smith’s United Conservatives, or return to an NDP government headed by Rachel Notley, in a battle between premiers past and present.

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Promises made: Where the NDP and UCP stand on top issues in Alberta election campaign A composite image of UCP leader Danielle Smith and Alberta NDP leader Rachel Notley following the leaders debate at CTV Edmonton on Thursday, May 18, 2023. Photo by David Bloom /Postmedia

With Alberta’s election hitting the home stretch, what have the leading political parties in the province done or promised to do if elected today?

Both the UCP and the NDP have been making promises for weeks on major issues leading up to the official campaign, which began in May.

Here are some highlights, which don’t reflect the entirety of the platforms.

Profiles of main party leaders Danielle Smith and Rachel Notley Leader of the NDP Rachel Notley, left, and Leader of the United Conservative Party Danielle Smith shake hands before a debate in Edmonton on Thursday, May 18, 2023. Photo by JASON FRANSON /THE CANADIAN PRESS UCP Leader Danielle Smith

Succeeding Jason Kenney, Smith comes from roots in the socially conservative Wildrose Party. She has been premier since October 2022 after she won the UCP’s leadership race.

Smith, 52, who holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Calgary with a major in English and a minor in economics, started her career in media. First as an extra in the Vancouver film and television industry and then as a journalist on radio, television and in print. While working as a radio broadcaster in March 2020, Smith tweeted and later deleted claims that the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine is a cure for COVID-19.

As premier, Smith fired Alberta Health Services’ governing board for what she called “freedom-busting health restrictions” implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic. She later walked back her plans to pursue pardons for violations of COVID-19 health and safety restrictions.

Smith was a lobbyist for the Alberta Enterprise Group, encouraging capital investment and big business in Alberta. She introduced the Alberta Sovereignty Act to prevent the enforcement of “federal rules deemed harmful to Alberta’s interests.” The act passed but only with significant changes to remove the legislation-rewriting powers the original measure would have given Smith and her cabinet.

Since 2017, Smith and her husband, David Moretta, have owned and operated the Dining Car at High River station, a converted rail car in High River.

NDP Leader Rachel Notley

Notley, 59, became premier of Alberta in 2015, ending 44 years of Progressive Conservative Party rule in the Western Canadian province. She lost re-election in 2019 to Kenney.

The daughter of former Alberta New Democratic Party leader Grant Notley, Rachel Notley was a labour advocate and lawyer before entering politics. She specialised in workers’ rights and health and safety. She advocated for the rights of special-needs children with the organisation Moms on the Move.

Notley credits her mother, an anti-war activist, for getting her involved in activism, taking Notley to an anti-

The campaign has taken place alongside a record-breaking spring for wildfires in Alberta. Ten communities were under evacuation orders Monday.

Elections Alberta has set up alternate voting locations for those displaced. Evacuation has been added as an eligible reason to vote by special ballot and mobile voting stations have been placed in evacuation centres.

Incident Command Centres are working to have special ballots delivered to fire fighters and emergency crews.

war demonstration before she was ten years old.

While premier, Notley gave Canada its first $15 minimum wage, stabilised funding for healthcare, restricted money in elections and increased taxes on corporations and the wealthy. Her government introduced harm-reduction measures targeting the opioid and fentanyl epidemic.

Her husband, Lou Arab, is a communications representative for the Canadian Union of Public Employees and a campaign strategist for the NDP. Notley and Arab live with their two children in the historic Old Strathcona district in Edmonton.

— Reuters